


The Snowman Strategy

by JantoJones



Series: Further Brief Briefings [47]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22113067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JantoJones/pseuds/JantoJones
Summary: PROMPT~In the meadow we can build a snowmanAnd pretend that he's a circus clownWe'll have lots of fun with mister snowmanUntil the other kiddies knock him downWinter Wonderland~
Series: Further Brief Briefings [47]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/788124
Comments: 11
Kudos: 9





	The Snowman Strategy

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT
> 
> ~In the meadow we can build a snowman  
> And pretend that he's a circus clown  
> We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman  
> Until the other kiddies knock him down
> 
> Winter Wonderland~

Two figures concealed themselves amongst the snow-laden trees at the edge of a large, empty field. Empty, that is, apart from the two men trudging across it. The hidden figures were Matthias Gomez and Tomasz Bosco, and they were Thrush operatives. The pair had been tailing UN.C.L.E. agents, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, for several hours, in the hope of intercepting a package they were carrying. The Thrushies didn’t know if it was to be dead dropped or handed off, so had stuck to their quarry like glue. 

As there was no cover in the field, the Thrush operatives decided to wait until they could follow the agents’ tracks unseen. As they watched they were amused to see Solo bend down to scoop up a handful of snow. He slowly and carefully formed it into a ball and prepared to throw it at his partner. The Thrushies couldn’t hear what Kuryakin was saying, but his body language was warning Solo off.

The American launched his snowball, hitting the Russian squarely in the chest. It also instigated a snowball battle which lasted almost five minutes; only ending hen Solo slipped and landed on his heiny. The two men laughed as Kuryakin helped his partner to his feet. There was a brief conversation before they began to, bizarrely, gather the snow into a pile. It wasn’t until they gathered more snow into a large ball that the Thrushies realised the U.N.C.L.E. agents were making a snowman.

“I bet you five dollars that this is the dead-drop,” Gomez muttered. 

“You gotta be kidding,” Bosco scoffed in reply. “Isn’t that a bit obvious? Solo and Kuryakin wouldn’t be that stupid.”

“Exactly,” said Gomez. “They know that we know they would never make it this easy, which is precisely why they would.”

“Ah. A Double bluff.”

Once the snowman was complete Kuryakin produced a small orange from his pocket and created a nose. It gave the snowman the hint of a circus clown. Solo patted the figure on the head before he and Kuryakin continued their walk across the field.

“Give them time to be well away,” Gomez stated, then we’ll retrieve the package.

Upon reaching the other side of the field, Napoleon and Illya mirrored their Thrush counterparts and hid amongst the trees which edged the open area. They had to wait a full twenty minutes before the enemy emerged and made a beeline for the snowman. The pair circled it for a while, looking for any sort of trap. As soon as they deemed it safe they started to kick it into oblivion. Bosco even ripped into the orange, but neither man found anything.

Dropping to his knees, Gomez dug through the snow until he exposed the ground beneath. Finally accepting the truth, he threw his head back and screamed at the sky.

“Get up,” Bosco instructed. “We’ll go after them.”

“There’s no point,” Gomez told him. “Even if we follow their tracks, they’ll be long gone by now.”

Napoleon and Illya watched with amusement as the Thrushies trudged away. As soon as it was safe, they too went on their way. They had a package to deliver to Alexander Waverly.

“Why did you have an orange in your pocket?” Napoleon asked.

“You never know when you might need one?” Illya replied, offering no other explanation.


End file.
